More
by Simoun Sibylla
Summary: Blue needs to sleep, but Jomy won't let him... Jomy/Blue or Blue/Jomy, depending on how you look at it.


**More**

by Simoun Sibylla

Disclaimer: _Toward the Terra _and all its characters belong to Takemiya Keiko.

Warning: Contains slash. If you're okay with that, then enjoy the Blue x Jomy / Jomy x Blue action.

Note: This could be read as a prequel to my other vaguely Jomy x Blue story, "Of Hope and Sacrifice," though they can be enjoyed as completely separate stories.

Thanks: To Crimson Minamino, for beta-ing and letting me bounce ideas around. :)

* * *

Jomy sat on the floor beside Soldier Blue's bed. Their conversation had faded to silence, but Jomy did not mind. He merely wanted to be near Blue, as though Jomy's presence might make up for the reckless behavior that had led to Blue's being confined to bed in the first place.

Jomy wondered how long it would take to Blue to recover from his injuries. The gossip he overheard made Jomy fear that he would face even more hatred from the crew if the unthinkable happened to the beloved leader of the Mu. It scared him, but he couldn't fight against their resentment because he knew they were right—everything was in fact his fault. If Jomy had not insisted on returning to Ataraxia, Blue would never have had to risk his life to save him and Leo, and the Soldier would not have suffered such terrible injuries.

Jomy's bitter thoughts were interrupted by the touch of Blue's hand on his shoulder. "Jomy, it's late," said the Soldier. "I must sleep." His voice was heavy with exhaustion.

"Oh. Yeah. I should go." Jomy rose to his feet and looked down at the Soldier in his bed. Blue's eyes were already closed, but the visible tension around the corners of his eyes hinted at the physical pain he still endured, despite the medical staff's best efforts. Perhaps Blue was feigning sleepiness to avoid showing Jomy how unwell he really felt.

Realizing he was staring instead of leaving, Jomy shook himself and said, "Goodnight, then, Soldier Blue." But the worry gnawing at the pit of his stomach would not go away, and his feet remained rooted to the spot. Almost unthinkingly, Jomy bent down to kiss Blue's forehead, the way his mother had always kissed him goodnight.

But as soon as he pulled back, he wondered what he had done. Blue looked up at him with wide eyes.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" demanded Jomy, trying to hide his own embarrassment at having been so unexpectedly familiar with the Soldier.

"I didn't think you liked me that much," teased Blue, his face softening, though the lines of weariness around his eyes remained.

Jomy's face reddened. "I'm just—I just wanted to wish you a proper goodnight. Is that so wrong?"

"No, Jomy." Blue suddenly reached up to wrap his arms around Jomy's narrow shoulders and pull him down towards the bed. "Of course not. You should always do what you think is best."

"Soldier..." Jomy sank to his knees as Blue pulled him down until Jomy's face pressed against the Soldier's chest.

"I've taken you away from your family, and it will take time for your new family here to understand you," sighed Blue, as though he knew exactly what was bothering Jomy. "Until then, though, I am here for you." Blue's arms tightened around him. "Even if I should not wake up tomorrow, I am here for you, Jomy. Even if I should sleep forever, I will be here to listen to you whenever you need to me."

There was something disconcerting about Blue's tone that made Jomy's heart beat faster with apprehension. He pushed himself away from Blue and stared down at him, still kneeling at his bedside. "What do you mean, sleep forever? Don't say things like that!"

Blue smiled up at Jomy, but his face was even paler than before. "Death comes to us all eventually, Jomy," he said softly, his eyes shining a dark red.

Jomy shook his head. "No!" He slid his arms beneath Blue's body, hugging him tightly. "No! Don't even say it!" He squeezed his eyes shut, afraid to give the tears stinging his eyes the chance to fall.

He knew Blue was injured and weak; he could feel it even as he held the frail man in his arms. He also knew it was entirely his fault that the Soldier was in such a poor state—the echoing voices of the crew made sure no one ever forgot who was to blame for the Soldier's suffering.

A hand stroked the back of Jomy's head. "Ah, Jomy, you haven't caused me any suffering at all."

With dismay, Jomy realized Blue had read his thoughts again. But Blue merely chuckled, the sound vibrating up from his chest.

"Blue," began Jomy, but he was cut off as Blue took hold of him and toppled Jomy into the bed. With a yelp of surprise, Jomy fell down beside Blue and sank into the pillows. "What the—?"

The Soldier now lay on his side facing Jomy. He was slightly out of breath. The effort of pulling Jomy into bed was evidently a great exertion for him. "Every moment I get to spend with you is an invaluable gift," said Blue, which only made Jomy feel worse.

Jomy curled up a little and bit his lip, trying to keep the tears from his eyes again.

"Stop worrying about me, Jomy," said Blue. He leaned forward slightly to press his lips against Jomy's forehead in the same way Jomy had given him a goodnight kiss.

The move startled Jomy so much that all his sorrowful thoughts fled his mind—but only for a moment. He blinked at Blue, who silently smiled at him, though the smile failed to reach his eyes. Those deep, red eyes were always so sad, and Jomy knew the suffering they had seen.

For an instant, Jomy felt like he was back in that intense moment in space when—floating with Blue far above Ataraxia—he had surfaced from the overwhelming torrent of memories Blue had poured into him. Gasping for air, the first thing Jomy had seen was Blue's face close to his. The smile on Blue's face now was identical to the gentle smile that had graced the Soldier's lips as he welcomed Jomy back to reality.

But the pain in those ruby eyes, too, appeared unchanged.

"How can I not worry? You can't just share all your memories with someone and not expect them care about you!"

Blue's expression did not change. He blinked once, then said coolly, "You have more important things to worry about. The future of the Mu lies in your hands now."

"You're a Mu, aren't you?" he cried. "I can worry about you if I want to!"

Blue raised an unsteady hand to Jomy's cheek. "I didn't bring you to this ship to make a fuss over me."

Jomy reached up to take Blue's hand in his. He clutched it near his chest with both hands and stared at Blue with narrowed eyes, unable to say anything. The words would only come out as a sob now if he tried to speak again.

Blue gazed at him for a moment longer, but then his eyes slowly fell shut. "I'm sorry, Jomy," he whispered. The profound tiredness in his voice was unsettling. Jomy feared Blue might drift off to sleep and vanish like a dream before his very eyes. He instinctively gripped Blue's hand tighter.

They lay silently in bed together, hand in hand. Blue's breathing became slow and even. Eventually Jomy realized that Blue had actually dozed off. He knew he should let the Soldier sleep, but he couldn't leave the bed without disturbing him.

After waiting a little while longer, Jomy asked in a hushed voice, "Soldier Blue, can I stay here tonight?"

Blue stirred at the sound of Jomy's voice. Without opening his eyes, he pulled Jomy closer. "Of course you can," he answered, his breath tickling Jomy's face. Then he said, "Lights." At his command, the blue lamps around the bed dimmed until only a faint glow remained.

Staring at Blue's sleepy face in the pale half-light, Jomy had a sudden flashback—he felt like he was in dark, cramped space, unable to move. There was something terrible and painful awaiting him in the corners of his enclosure, but there was no way to escape. He was trapped, no matter how hard he struggled against the narrow walls of his dark prison.

But then he remembered where he really was, and returned to the present with a faint gasp. The memory was not his own, although Jomy had experienced a similar horror briefly during his own captivity in Ataraxia. The flash of claustrophobia clearly came from Blue's memories. The span of centuries was not enough to erase the childhood trauma of being cruelly imprisoned and experimented upon by the Humans. There was a reason why the Soldier's room was a vast, open hall that was always partially lit. As the Origin and the only Type Blue, Blue had suffered more at the hands of the Human scientists than most Mu.

Still holding Blue's hand with one hand, Jomy put his other arm over Blue and grabbed a fistful of cape. "I won't let anyone hurt you again, Soldier Blue," he whispered. He shifted closer to the Soldier to comfort him with his physical warmth—and to reassure himself that Blue was still there beside him. "I won't let anyone hurt the Mu again."

Blue squeezed Jomy's hand slightly, and suddenly Jomy felt Blue's unspoken gratitude as the Soldier briefly dropped his usually impermeable mental shield.

Surprised and intrigued by Blue's unexpected openness, Jomy tried to find the gap in Blue's mental armor so he could follow it deeper into the Soldier's mind, but a sudden, glaring blue fire flared up before Jomy eyes and drove him back. The Soldier had blocked him.

Startled, Jomy realized he had done something terribly rude. "Ah, I'm sorry, I just—I didn't mean to," he stammered apologetically. "I—I should let you sleep." He released Blue and started to roll away to the far side of the bed, but then Blue stopped him.

_Stay, _the Soldier commanded telepathically, wrapping an arm around Jomy and pulling him close again. _Stay with me, Jomy._

Now Jomy lay with his back pressed against the Soldier. He could feel Blue's breath against the back of his neck. After a little while, he squirmed slightly out from beneath Blue's arm. It was too warm here, next to Blue. He lay down on his back, with Blue's arm draped across his stomach.

More comfortable now, Jomy glanced at the sleeping Soldier's face. Blue's eyes were still closed, but there was a wet sheen around his lashes and a damp trail down one cheek.

The Soldier had been crying silently.

Frightened, Jomy didn't know how to react. Finally he overcame his hesitation and reached up to touch Blue's face. "Blue?" When he got no response, he repeated his name again. "Blue, what's wrong?"

The Soldier did not stir. Growing nervous, Jomy propped himself up on one elbow and grabbed Blue's shoulder. "Come on. Don't be sad. Talk to me, please." Still the Soldier did not move; his eyelids did not so much as flicker.

The complete lack of reaction sent a chill down Jomy's spine. "Soldier Blue!" he shouted, pushing the Soldier over onto his back so that he could see his face better in the dim light. "Blue! Soldier Blue!"

At last, those red eyes opened. After a moment of disorientation, they focused on Jomy.

"Thank God," sighed Jomy with relief. "Don't scare me like that."

"I heard you call me, as though from far away," murmured Blue, blinking blearily up at Jomy.

"Good." Jomy didn't take his hands off Blue's shoulders. "Because I'm always going to call you back, no matter how far you try go! You got that?" He tried to hide how sheepish he felt for having overreacted when Blue had merely fallen asleep.

Blue raised his eyebrows, then smiled weakly. "What have I gotten myself into," he wondered out loud, "with this boy who won't let anyone get their rest? You seem to have more than enough energy for the both of us."

"You know I'd give you some of my energy if it would help." As the words left his mouth, an idea dawned on him. "Wait a sec," said Jomy. "Can I—?" He looked down at Blue. The Soldier held his gaze steadily, but his mouth was pressed into a tight line and his shoulders were tense. Jomy realized that his suspicion had to be true.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jomy demanded, his voice rising. "I'd happily give you lots of energy if it would make you feel better!"

"Jomy, you can't—"

"Yes, I can!" he shouted. "Tell me how! I know you know!" He glared down at Blue as he tried to figure out exactly why he knew so certainly that such a transfer of energy was possible between Mu. He could feel a fragment of a memory skirting the edges of his consciousness—it had to be one of Blue's memories. He could almost see it—there was something he dimly remembered—a face—an injured friend—the fear of death—

"Jomy, I cannot ask anything more of you. My weakness is my own. Whenever my time to die comes, there will be nothing either of us can do about it."

Jomy's eyes widened; he had recaptured the stray memory. It unfolded in his mind as vividly as a scene from his own past. He realized now the full extent of what Blue had done, many ages ago, to save a dying friend—to save Captain Harley. "No, Blue, you're wrong," Jomy insisted. He gathered his energy as best as he could, and a soft blue glow enveloped his body. "There is something I can do about it. You've done the same thing for others." Concentrating as hard as he could, he closed his eyes, leaned down, and brought his lips to Blue's mouth.

There was a slight tingling shock as their lips touched, and then the electric sensation spread out all over Jomy's skin. With his telepathy, he could see a flash of blue light he knew to be his own psionic energy crashing against Blue's mental shield. The shield held, tense as a taut wire, but then abruptly gave way. Jomy found himself suddenly tumbling into darkness—into Blue's mind.

_Please live, Blue, _said Jomy, still pressing his mouth to Blue's. He could feel the Soldier's slender fingers digging into his back as he continued to pour energy into the vast darkness of Blue's soul. The Soldier's mind surrounded him like tons of stone and earth pressing down upon the walls of a deep, hidden cave. Jomy felt an inescapable, crushing sadness, but also an unbelievably hardened determination.

And there, floating in the depths of Blue's mind, Jomy found an infinitely compassionate, undeniable love at the core of Blue's being. Jomy drifted irresistibly towards it, wanting to give Blue all he had—every part of himself.

But then Blue's voice roared, _Jomy! Stop it!_ _Stop, before you kill yourself!_

Suddenly Jomy's head whipped back as the connection with Blue was severed. It took a moment for Jomy to regain his senses. He opened his eyes and found himself still leaning over Soldier Blue, but then his elbows buckled and he collapsed on top of the Soldier.

Jomy's head ached, and his breath was shallow and ragged. He felt unbelievably drained.

But, resting his head on Blue's chest, Jomy could hear Blue's rapid heartbeat over the pounding of his own pulse.

_What a foolish, foolish thing to do_. Blue's telepathy sounded much stronger than it had before.

Jomy smiled to himself. "But it worked," he murmured with satisfaction. He took several slow, deep breaths, willing his heart rate to return to normal.

"You harmed yourself in the process," Blue scolded with an undercurrent of anger in his voice.

"I'm stronger than you think." To prove his point, Jomy pushed himself back up. His arms trembled with the effort, but he was confident they would bear his weight this time.

As Jomy moved back, Blue pushed himself up on his elbows, then slowly rose from his pillows to sit up in bed. "You're even more disobedient than I feared," he sighed.

"Only because you're more stubborn than anyone else I know."

"I can think of one person who might be even more obstinate than I am," Blue noted dryly, his anger giving way to wry amusement.

Jomy shifted back a little so that he could sit cross-legged on the bed. "Yeah, well, whatever," he said dismissively. "I'm not giving up on you, no matter what you say."

"Someday, you will have to," predicted Blue in a manner-of-fact voice. "That is the nature of things."

Jomy frowned. "You look like you're feeling better, though," he said, changing the subject. "You're only half as pale as you were before."

"Perhaps I am Sleeping Beauty, awakened by an invigorating kiss from my prince," Blue said, smiling.

Jomy's face flushed bright red as it hit him just what he had done to the Soldier. "It wasn't that kind of kiss," he protested, not sure whether Blue was joking or not.

Blue reached out to touch Jomy's chin and tilted it up so that their eyes met. "Regardless, I should thank you for what you did," said the Soldier, and before Jomy could react, the Soldier kissed him. There was no crackle of energy, no exchange of psionic power—just the heat of Blue's mouth and the delicious firmness of his lips.

When they separated, Jomy opened his eyes to find Blue gazing at him. His strange red eyes glowed with a powerful emotion that Jomy finally recognized only because he had stumbled across it in the Soldier's mind earlier. It was love—an endlessly sad love. But right now, the entire force of that emotion was directed at Jomy. It made his heart ache.

Jomy gingerly touched Blue's headphones with one hand, then dropped his hand, uncertain of how to react. "Blue, you look like you're going to cry again," he said and realized his own voice sounded choked.

Blue touched Jomy's cheek with one hand and bowed his head. "Forgive me, Jomy," he said softly, and Jomy wondered exactly for what sin the Soldier was trying to atone now.

He wanted to comfort him; if anyone should feel any guilt, it was Jomy, not Blue.

"Blue," he began, swallowing his nervousness. "Can I—kiss you again? For real this time?"

Blue looked up at Jomy. Now Jomy could see for a fact that there was a shimmer of tears in those red eyes. "If you wish," said the Soldier.

Heart pounding, Jomy knelt on the blankets and cupped Blue's face in his hands. Blue's skin was warm to the touch—warmer than it had been before Jomy gave him energy. He saw Blue's lips part slightly in anticipation as Jomy leaned closer. For a split second, Jomy hesitated, but then he daringly moved forward and kissed his mouth. This time, he meant it to be a real kiss—and the Soldier's response told him it was.

When he finally pulled away, Jomy blurted out, "I think I liked that more than I should."

An odd smile flitted across Blue's lips. He twined his arms around Jomy and fell back into the pillows, pulling Jomy down alongside him.

"And I," Blue whispered in the dark as he buried his face in Jomy's hair, "I love you more than I should, Jomy Marcus Shin."


End file.
